VivaAerobus places Latin America’s biggest Airbus aircraft order

The VivaAerobus Group has signed a purchase agreement for 52 Airbus A320 Family aircraft (40 A320neo and 12 A320ceo), representing the biggest Airbus aircraft order by a single airline in Latin American history. VivaAerobus, a Mexican low-cost carrier, will announce the engine selection at a later date.

VivaAerobus, part-owned by IAMSA, one of Mexico’s largest transportation companies, and Irelandia Aviation, a global low-cost-carrier airline developer, will replace its entire fleet of 737-300 to become an all-Airbus carrier by 2016. VivaAerobus has been a pioneer in Mexico’s ’Bus to Air’ model, which is an initiative to convert bus passengers to air travellers.

The new A320 Family is key to VivaAerobus’ domestic and international network expansion plans. With proven reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320 Family has the lowest operating costs of any single-aisle aircraft, making it a perfect match for VivaAerobus.

“After evaluating the latest aircraft technology with the objective of further reducing our costs, improving our reliability, punctuality and the overall passenger experience, today we are proud to announce that the Airbus A320 has been our final choice. This is an important milestone for our customers, shareholders and staff,” said Juan Carlos Zuazua, VivaAerobus CEO. “This decision will support our growth strategy, as it will allow us to further reduce our industry leading fares, and will increase the cost-per-seat advantage we currently have among our competitors.”

“We are very proud to welcome VivaAerobus to the Airbus family,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer Customers. “The A320 Family offers the best productivity, the lowest operating costs, the fastest turnarounds and best fuel efficiency of any single-aisle aircraft. It also offers the widest and most comfortable cabin. The unbeatable economics has made the NEO the single aisle aircraft of choice among leading operators worldwide.”

The A320 Family has the lowest seat-mile costs of any single-aisle aircraft and offers a wider cabin than competing single-aisle products, enabling wider seats, a wider aisle and more personal space. The A320neo’s new engines and large wingtip devices known as Sharklets together result in a 15 percent fuel-burn reduction. To date, more than 9,900 A320s have been ordered and almost 5,800 delivered to nearly 390 customers and operators.

More than 500 Airbus aircraft are in operation throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, with more than 800 aircraft sold and a backlog of nearly 400 yet to be delivered. In the last 10 years, Airbus has tripled its in-service fleet, while delivering more than 60 per cent of all aircraft operating in the region.